We get what we have given. We take what we have bequeathed. "In the end the love you take," said the final lyrics of a famous (Beatles) song (their last), is "equal to... the love... you make."

So went the song. And so it is: What we put into life is an investment in our future here and hereafter.

This is a stark lesson -- for all of us, in our thoughts, and often words, sometimes actions, lack charity.

We get irritated.

We harbor grudges.

We find fault (except in ourselves).

We "like" or "dislike."

This separates us from others.

They can feel it like a chill wind.

It creates a barrier between folks, as do so many other things, particularly, in our day, electronic devices.

Between you and a real connection, you and a friendship, you and love, can be an iPhone, a tablet, or a laptop.

While there are certainly benefits when we text or e-mail (such as easy, frequent communication: keeping track of family members, for instance), it just isn't the same as personal interaction. And as you no doubt have experienced, there are often misunderstandings. A person's response -- too short, too truncated, or worded in a way that meant one thing to the send and another to the receiver -- can cause hurt or hard feelings. It can sound froideur.

Distant. Frosty.

Electronic communication leaves room for much misinterpretations.

And it plain takes away from time we spend with others.

A sight it is to see: two people on a date, or a table full of college kids, spending time together but not spending time together, each staring at the pixels on a screen